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As has been alluded to in the history section, the LSE has built and maintains a strong reputation in establishing the parameters of social science discourses. As such, it serves as a benchmark for the other case studies, especially regarding the research aspect of this investigation.
With regards to appropriating internet based innovations, one specialized central institution (the CLT) has emerged and the library continues its traditional services with the (online) tools available today. The CLT is ‘the responsible’ entity for the identification, evaluation and realization of technology based opportunities to improve teaching & learning. A similar function for LSE’s research practices are performed by the IT team in the Library [i].
3.1.6.1. Environmental Awareness
Because of the cosmopolitan composition of the faculty and student body, intellectual trends and news reach the LSE rather quickly and often first hand. Furthermore the fact that English is today’s academic and technological lingua franca facilitates the vigilance of dynamic topicality.
When it comes to technology, the IT professionals in the relevant units are responsible for identifying and evaluating potential innovations. Given that the IT strategy stresses a user’s need focus, and given that most of the LSE academics are not specifically interested in technology per se, technology innovations especially in research have quite a high incubation time (e.g. open access). The demand of students, who constitute a younger more IT savvy generation, and bring their IT habits from universities from around the world, is a key motor of change when it comes to teaching practices.
3.1.6.2. Entrepreneuring (Strategy & Vision)
In the academic department very little collective planning seems to be mandatory regarding research. The department’s faculty mostly collaborates to deal with organizational matters and to occasionally revamp the course offering or even develop a new programme. Theses efforts are mainly led by the department’s convener, who is the temporarily elected leader (‘the first among equals’) [ii] of the department, who also has to represent the department’s interest in all relevant internal institutions. Scientific entrepreneuring is done almost exclusively by individuals.
The vision and strategy for IT services is institutionalized through the collective development of the School’s IT strategy documents. Ideas (and opportunities) have to be contributed to the collaborative effort of writing the master document or have to fit into the established mandate (and priorities) for the given period. The School’s positioning as early majority (ITstrategy, 2004) for technology innovations makes this strategy feasible, because most innovations can and are being watched for sometime before they are assessed to be ready for appropriation.
3.1.6.3. New Project Support
There are several established ways to initiate a new academic project. (LSE web 5, web 6). Namely the Research and Project Development Division is responsible for facilitating the attainment of research funding, as well as the creation of new academic endeavours, while the private business entity LSE Enterprise supports the marketing of LSE’s experts for for-profit engagements. Even though much information is available online, most communications about entrepreneurial practices is exchanged interpersonally (LSE management 31).
On the IT side, a division between research and teaching & learning has to be made anew. While the team members of the CLT are specifically mandated to screen the web and go to conferences to identify and test-drive teaching and learning opportunities, the library team does this activity ‘on the side’ for research. As the chief Librarian has pointed out, a solid business case still needs to be made to establish innovation as a formal part of staff roles.
For both areas the same is true: they do not force any innovations on their stakeholders but completely follow a supply and demand based approach. Sincerely following the motto: “moving forward without pushing” (LSE management 32).
3.1.6.4. Risk Tolerance
Risk tolerance is no big issue for academics who do not feel a high pressure to innovate and only do so when they are thoroughly convinced of the importance of the realization of an opportunity. On an organizational level the School has engaged in several strategic activities, which have been assessed as having risk (e.g. collaborations with Columbia, or in China). Lately risk management has been institutionalized and the School has begun to develop a certain appetite for risk (LSE management 33) as an element of all institutions in a globalizing world.
For the integration of internet based innovations, the same scenario as for new project support is true. The LSE does not intend to innovate, and it is offering new services as opportunities; therefore it does not have to take significant risks.
3.1.6.5. Communication
Generally, knowledge and communication at the LSE is strongly siloed (LSE faculty 34) because of the high specialization of the academic and administrative departments. This fact is mitigated by the inter-disciplinary committees and through the extensive use of online publications, which allows for the identification of responsible colleagues when the need arises. Also, the ‘weekly briefing’ newsletter published internally, as well as the ‘LSE in the News’ service (collecting public media appearances of the LSE), both published by the Press Department, allow LSE employees to stay updated about what is happing. Nevertheless, inter-disciplinary or inter-departmental cross-fertilization happens with limited frequency on an un-planned/organic basis.
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[i] Even though with a less differentiated mandate.
[ii] The convener job does not seem to be very attractive to the academics, whose interest lies in their intellectual activities and who perceive the School’s organization and politics as largely uninteresting and highly nerve-wracking. (LSE faculty 30)
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